Automan: Dual Core
by SailorChronos1
Summary: Computer equipment is disappearing from stores without a trace.  Automan and his new friend Officer Baines team up when they suspect that another hologram might be involved.  Sequel to Automan: Re-Resolution.
1. Chapter 1

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 1

22 May 2002

Carolina was just packing up at the end of her shift when her superior Lt. Baker dumped several folders on her desk. "Here's a good one for you, Officer Baines," he said with his usual sarcastic courtesy. "There has been a rash of burglaries at electronics stores in the area. No witnesses, nothing caught on any security cameras, and no alarms were triggered."

"If there was no alarm, it could have been an employee," she theorized.

"The store owners have sworn that all their employees are trustworthy, and all were accounted for at the time of the break-ins. But somehow, somebody was able to access the stores without even picking the locks. The only things that were taken were top-of-the-line circuit boards and computer power supplies."

She pondered for a moment. "The E3 is on this weekend," she said, with a sinking feeling in her gut. "There could be hundreds of potential suspects."

Her boss was confused. "What's E3?"

"Electronic Entertainment Expo," she explained, having not expected the middle-aged man to know. "It's an annual trade show for computers and video games, held at the L.A. Convention Center."

"Then I suggest you get yourself over there and have a look around. I've got enough to worry about already."

Traffic through downtown was a nightmare as usual, and she was forced to park her car a fair distance away from the convention center. Before she went in, she sat with the CD player blaring Laura Branigan's Hot Night as she perused the files. There was nothing much to add to what had already been summarized: expensive equipment had gone missing with no sign of forced entry. Security footage was no help: one second the equipment was there, the next it was gone; obviously someone had doctored the film. The only witness to one of the burglaries had been a man who was sitting on a bench across the street. He had described the thief as a "purple ghost", but since he had been drunk at the time, his account was suspect.

With a resigned air, she put the files in her briefcase which she locked in the trunk. Perhaps there would be something at the con that was worth her time.

* * *

She ended up spending more time at the convention than she thought she would. There were huge display areas for the "big three" game manufacturers. Many other companies showed off hardware and software. A long row of concessions sported toys and T-shirts; Lina was tempted to buy a shirt bearing an enlarged image of Pac-Man on it with the caption "Byte Me".

Then, near the back of the hall she noticed something that took her completely by surprise: a small booth with a banner that said "Capital W Creations" had a crowd of about thirty people clustered around it. A nondescript, brown-haired young man whose name tag read "Justin Woodruff" had just started his spiel.

"I'm sure most of you have heard of the Virtual Woman, the artificial intelligence game and chat-bot," said Justin to the crowd. "However I have taken it one step further: a fully interactive, intelligent hologram. I call it Virtual Man." He indicated the screen on the table next to him that showed the image of a tall, brown-haired man dressed in a dark skin-fitting suit similar to that of a scuba diver. Its neck and waist were sporting broad purple bands.

"Are you talking about something like the Doctor from Star Trek?" someone asked, sounding sceptical.

Justin grinned proudly. "Exactly!" He turned and typed a few commands. The image disappeared from the screen, and beside the table there stood a translucent 3D rendering of the same image. It slowly walked the length of the booth, then pivoted and returned to its original position. From this perspective, glittering purple pin-stripes could be seen running down the sides of its body, arms, and legs.

Then to the surprise of everyone except for Justin, the image spoke in a clear bass voice. "Good afternoon."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, then scattered applause.

"Thank you," Justin said a little smugly. "As you can see, Virtual Man isn't solid. But I have a working theory that I am fairly certain can be put into practice: with enough power, this image can attain substance. He will FEEL real."

Now there were expressions of disbelief. "Mr. Woodruff," said a man in a dark business suit, "I have been an electrical engineer for 20 years. There have been many attempts in the scientific and military communities to create similar constructs, but no successes were ever reported. The electricity requirements alone to run even a small one would power an average town for a day. While your hologram remains impressive, I highly doubt that you would be able to create anything close to that which only exists on television." Some people in the back of the group chuckled.

Most of the onlookers drifted away, but a few gathered around the display to look more closely at the image that was standing in the booth. Justin pretended to be interested in the questions they had, but inside he was seething. How dare they ridicule his hard work? Just because he was barely out of college didn't mean that they had the right to brush him off! But little did they know what they would soon be in for...

Unnoticed, the slim woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair strode quickly out of the display area. When she reached an outer hallway of the conference center, she looked quickly in both directions to make sure there was nobody in earshot, and then she made a call on her cellphone. "Hello, Walter? It's Lina. We need to talk."


	2. Chapter 2

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 2

Later that evening, Lina paid a visit to Walter Nebicher and his wife Roxanne at their house in Maywood. They had been good friends ever since she had interned under Walter years ago at the tender age of 16, and it was thanks to them that she had become a police officer. She really hadn't wanted to disturb them today, but felt that it was important enough to tell them what she had witnessed.

After spending a short time engaged in small talk, she brought up what had been troubling her. "I was at the E3 game convention this afternoon," she began, and then lowered her voice. "Uh, where are Jack and Matthew? I'd prefer they not hear this." The couple's tween-aged sons didn't know about Walter's work-related pursuits.

"Don't worry," said Walter with a smile, waving one hand in the direction of the door to the basement. "The boys are downstairs playing Halo. They won't be bothering us."

Lina cleared her throat. "At the con, there was this young man by the name of Justin Woodruff; either in college or just out of it by the look of him. He was exhibiting an artificially intelligent hologram that he claimed could have substance."

Roxanne gasped, wide-eyed.

Walter was equally perturbed. "Did he generate it on the spot?"

"Yes, but it wasn't solid; he said he needed more power to do it, but some electrical engineer debunked the idea. He hid his reaction well, but I could see in his face that he was furious."

With a worried sigh Roxanne said, "It sounds like this kid feels that he has something to prove." She turned to Walter. "How would a hologram react to a programmer with an attitude like that?"

"Badly," he replied, frowning.

Knowing glances passed among them, and then Lina said, "Someone should hear about this."

"I'm way ahead of you," said Walter, reaching over to a side table and picking up a laptop computer. "Let's just see how well my new network works..." He flipped open the laptop, launched a web browser and initiated a search. In another window he brought up a prompt.

AUTOMAN  
ENTER ACCESS CODE  
CRIMEFIGHTER  
ACCESS AUTHORIZED

The room shivered slightly. In the background Lina could hear a generator outside rev up in response to an increase in power load. After a few seconds, a bright multi-faceted ball of light emerged from the laptop screen. "Hello, Cursor!" Walter greeted it. It twittered at him, then whizzed over to both Roxanne and Lina in turn, brushing against their cheeks affectionately. Finally it streaked to an open space and spiralled downward toward the floor. In that space formed Walter's greatest creation and best friend: a tall handsome man with short blond hair parted to the right, wearing blue grid-like armour that shone with the light of hundreds of tiny stars.

"Hello, Walter. Hello, Roxanne," Automan said in a rich baritone voice. "And hello, Lina. It's good to see you." He walked over to where they were sitting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Lina explained to him what she had seen at the convention.

Automan was momentarily stunned, a reaction that was quite unusual for him. "This means that I have a... brother. I'm no longer unique."

"We all knew that eventually someone would do it," said Lina. "We'd like to be happy for you, Auto, but let's look more closely at this; there might be something more to it."

"Very well," Automan conceded. "According to records, Justin Woodruff recently graduated UCLA with honours in computer science and electrical engineering. Academically he is brilliant, although two years ago he was disciplined for allegedly plagiarizing a fellow student's work, and lost credit."

"I don't know about you," said Roxanne with a thoughtful look, "but I don't like this one bit."

"Why not?" asked Automan.

Walter explained, "You need to understand how many young people these days think. They can believe themselves to be smart, that they know more than everyone else in their chosen field, or nothing bad can happen to them. But they lack the life experience to know their own limitations or fully understand the consequences of their actions."

Lina nodded. "Consider this, Auto: you are the way you are because Walter programmed his own ideals into your base code. From what I could tell, Woodruff has a very angry outlook. With a creator like that, a hologram with abilities similar to yours could be capable of terrible things."

"That is indeed an unpleasant thought," Automan said, looking worried. "Perhaps we should try to talk to him."

"One of US should talk to him," insisted Walter, meaning the three humans in the room. "From what Lina said, Woodruff seems to think that he's the only one to have succeeded in creating this type of hologram. What do you think his reaction will be if he sees you and realizes that there has already been one in existence for nearly twenty years?"

"He doesn't have to see me," noted Auto, and straightened to his full height. "Cursor!" he commanded, and Cursor immediately whirled around his body to create a white casual shirt, dark blue jeans, and a light brown suede jacket. Only a glowing blue stripe around the inside of his collar gave any indication of his nature. Then Cursor added a final touch: an ID tag for the convention pinned to his lapel, bearing the name Otto J. Mann.

Lina threw her hands up into the air, defeated. "All right, but please stay out of trouble. Walter," she turned to her friend, "may I call Automan from home if necessary?"

Auto leaned over, put his arm around her shoulders and spoke in her ear with a Tom Selleck drawl, "You can call me any time."

Roxanne giggled and Walter rolled his eyes. Lina snorted and clarified, "I just don't want to call you away from any cases that you and Walter might be working on."

"It's okay," said Walter. "We don't have anything major in the works right now. He's all yours."

* * *

"There's something that you're not saying," said Automan once they were on the road in the Autocar. "Your blood pressure was up."

Lina sighed. Sometimes there was a downside to his ability to detect vital signs by touch. "Can't keep anything from you, can I? Yes, there is something else, but I didn't want to mention it in front of Walter." She told him about the case she had been given. "When I saw the colours on Woodruff's hologram, I considered the possibility that he was using it for those thefts. But there's no way to prove that without actually catching him in the act."

"All the more reason for me to see this," he said grimly. "I don't like the thought of a hologram being used for crime."

There were fewer people in the convention center at this late hour, but the display area was still open. Lina led Auto to Woodruff's booth, where he was just finishing his last demonstration. The purple accented hologram was still active, observing the people who passed by. While Automan watched discreetly from the sidelines, Lina approached the young man.

"Good evening, Mr. Woodruff," she said genially. "I saw your demo earlier and wanted to congratulate you on your work. That program of yours is amazing."

He smiled, and she didn't miss the 'I deserve recognition' sneer. "Thank you, Ms. Baines," he said after glancing at her name tag. "I've created a unique 3D electro-magnetic construct. Those virtual reality games you might have seen over there," he waved in the general direction of another game display, "are nothing like it. This brings the computer game into the real world instead of the other way around."

"What sort of game are you planning?" she asked. "Superheroes? Crime fighting, perhaps?"

The young man chuckled. "I'll let him answer that," he said, indicating the translucent figure.

"My programming is very flexible," said the hologram; his voice was a few tones deeper but less resonant than Automan's. "I can allow a user to create an alter-ego, as it were. If you want the perfect friend, for example, I can be that."

She pretended to be surprised. "Wow, that's an accomplishment," she said, addressing both of them. "Good luck with your game." With a cheery wave she turned and left, knowing that Auto would follow when he had observed everything to his satisfaction.


	3. Chapter 3

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 3

When the last visitors had left and the display room closed for the night, Woodruff's hologram spoke of its own accord. "I observed something that might interest you," he said quietly as the young man was checking his computer equipment.

"Really?" asked Justin in a tone indicating that he wasn't concerned.

"One of the last visitors had a low infra-red signature."

His head jerked up from the screen that he was re-positioning. "What do you mean 'low infra-red signature'?"

"His body was not emitting the amount of heat that is normal for a human under these conditions. I also detected a small amount of electro-magnetic energy radiating from his collar, which could only be the result of the impingement of the digital dimension on this one."

Now Justin became agitated. "The only thing that would do that is another hologram!" he growled. "Someone has stolen my work!" He pounded his fist on a table, startling some of the other exhibitors who were cleaning up across the aisle.

"I do not believe so," the hologram said evenly. "I read his name tag and did a search." The screen displayed an old news report dated in the spring of 1985, describing the trial of a hit man who had attempted to murder an L.A. police officer and a federal special agent. There were two photos, one of a man with black wavy hair, and the other was of a blond-haired man with piercing blue eyes. "This photograph," he indicated the blond man, "is identical to the person that I saw earlier. He has not changed in seventeen years."

Livid, Justin clenched his fists at his sides. "Someone created a solid construct over seventeen years ago? And even set up a public identity for him?" He forced himself to calm down. "Is there any more information about this Agent Mann?"

Virtual Man nodded toward the screen and another window with more articles appeared on it. "There are references to him in several public records and media reports. He is associated with both the Los Angeles Police Department and a federal computer crimes division."

"So he was created for law enforcement, huh?" grumbled Justin. "Something must be done about that if he shows up again. I can't have anyone get in the way of our progress."

* * *

During the drive back, Automan was strangely silent. This worried Lina somewhat, since he tended to be quite talkative if he had discovered something to his interest. "Is something bothering you?" she asked.

"Mr. Woodruff wasn't being entirely truthful when he said that his project hadn't been perfected."

"Don't you need to touch someone to determine if they're lying?"

"Correct. However I could sense that the equipment being used in the display was capable of channelling a great deal more power than was actually in use at the time. Virtual Man can become solid."

"You don't seem pleased," Lina observed. "I thought you were happy with the prospect of having another hologram to relate to."

"Yes, but what concerns me is why Mr. Woodruff thought it necessary to conceal such a detail. Your theory of him using his hologram to commit those thefts has merit, given that information." His handsome face set in a concerned scowl. "Besides, in the computer world, when a program meets its own upgrade it means either radical change, or destruction."

"Oh, Auto," Lina said compassionately, and put her hand on his shoulder in reassurance. "Nothing will ever replace you. Walter, Roxanne, and I all accept you as a person, not a program. Listen, I have some ideas that could help, so when we get back-"

She was interrupted by a trill from her cellphone, the ringtone indicating that the call was from her division's emergency dispatch line. Activating speaker mode, she listened. "-on West 7th Street at Hope Street. Burglary in progress at-"

Without needing further prompting, Automan immediately steered them toward the location and accelerated.

When they arrived at the corner, there were several police cars already there. Lina got out of the Autocar and quickly found the ranking officer. After showing her badge, she asked "What happened?"

The man scratched his head in a gesture of frustration. "Same thing as the last few break-ins we've had around here. No sign of forced entry, but this time the alarm was tripped. At first it looked like a false alarm or a malfunction of the system, but there are items missing from the display window."

"Were there any witnesses?"

"This area tends to be deserted at this time of night. We'd be lucky if there were any street gangs around."

Glancing over at Automan, she noticed that he was examining the shop window carefully. As she walked toward him, he beckoned her closer. "See this?" he said in a low voice, indicating with his fingers a tiny wire embedded in the glass. "This completes an electronic circuit. Breaking the window also would break the wire and set off the alarm. Cutting the circuit does the same thing."

She swallowed, not wanting to say it. "Like an electro-magnetic field passing through the window?"

"Yes." He straightened up. "With proper programming, a hologram wouldn't make such a mistake. Either the information fed into its systems was flawed-"

"Or this was a trap!" Lina exclaimed.

At that moment, there was a loud hiss of a static discharge behind them, and one of the parked police cruisers exploded, sending shards of metal in all directions. The officers who hadn't been knocked prone by the blast retreated to the dubious safety of a series of benches and trash cans on the edge of the street. Several drew their guns, but nothing could be seen. Lina took shelter behind the Autocar, and Auto knelt beside her.

The street lights down the block began to flicker and go out as a shadowed figure approached. As it got closer, Lina could see the outline of a muscular man with glowing purple bands around his neck and waist, and purple pin-striping down his body. The police officers began to fire their guns at him, but with no effect.

"It's that hologram, Virtual Man," she said, incredulous. "How could he have discharged that bolt and still be here? You can't do that." Then she fell forward onto her knees as her hand suddenly was deprived of support: it passed through the side of the Autocar which had become unsolid. Then the car faded into translucency and de-rezzed. Cursor flew to Automan's shoulder, beeping rapidly as if in distress.

Automan's collar was starting to look dimmer. "He's actively pulling electricity from the area right now," he said for both Cursor's and Lina's benefit. "Cursor's constructs can't be solid at the same time, or the system will overload."

"Agent Otto J. Mann," called Virtual Man in his bass voice, "or 'Automan', if you prefer. Show yourself, or more will be injured!"

"Auto, you can't!" Lina pleaded. "Not at such a disadvantage!"

He smiled slightly. "I have to, or others will be hurt." Rising slowly, he walked into the middle of the road. "Here I am," he shouted back. "What do you want?"

"It is my Creator's wish that you be eliminated," said Virtual Man. "There can only be one of us in existence."

"Why?" Auto asked reasonably. "There is nothing to be gained by it. I have far more experience than you. I could help you; we could help each other."

"I need no help from you," Virtual Man said. As if to prove his point, he vanished from the street and reappeared on the sidewalk. "I have scanned you; I am faster and more powerful."

"But not better," was Auto's response. "Leave these people alone, and let's talk."

"I will not negotiate." He lifted one hand, but Auto managed to sidestep as the bolt sizzled past and hit the street, melting the asphalt at the contact point.

Lina could not stand by and watch. As the conversation was taking place between the two holograms, she flicked her hand at the nearest officer, signalling him to join her behind a bus shelter on the corner. "Pass the word - without using your radio - to locate the nearest utility junction and open it. Someone has to cut the power to the block. No questions; just do it." The man nodded and scurried away.

Although Virtual Man's attention was on Auto, he didn't miss the movement in the background and prepared to fire another bolt at the police officers. Lina wasn't about to let that happen. "Freeze! You're under arrest!" she hollered to distract him, and ducked behind the bus shelter as the electricity slammed into it. One of the plexiglass panels shattered, but the metal support structure dissipated the bulk of the charge into the ground.

"Lina!" Automan called, hoping that she wasn't seriously hurt.

"Your concern for these people is a weakness," Virtual Man stated, forcing Auto's attention back to him. "Why do you exist among them instead of using your full potential?"

It was a fair question, but Auto knew exactly how to answer it, and straightened up proudly. "My friends want me to." He noticed the other hologram's slight dimming; the firing of three consecutive blasts had weakened him considerably. If Auto kept his opponent talking, perhaps he could find an advantage. "Something you would also understand if you gave it a chance."

"Friends?" He paused, as if considering something. "I have none. There is only my Creator, and it was his wish that you be destroyed!" He raised his hand to point directly at Automan.

At that moment, all the lights in a two-block radius went out. Deprived of power, Virtual Man flickered and disappeared. Automan turned to look toward where he had last seen Lina before he too faded.

Lina sat on the sidewalk behind the damaged bus shelter, shaking with fright and worry. A paramedic rushed over to her, but she waved him off and managed to stand on her own. Then she surveyed the scene. Two patrolmen had been seriously hurt and several others had suffered lacerations when the car had exploded. It could have been much worse.

This didn't bode well. She had been forced to pull the plug on her best friend, to save him and her fellow officers from a formidable opponent. How could they deal with a renegade hologram that was immune to almost everything? How could she even explain this?

She looked up at the darkened buildings and took a deep breath to regain her composure. The first thing she needed to do was to let Auto know that she was all right. Taking out her cellphone, she sent an SMS to her computer: I AM OK. Next she sent a text to Walter: TALK TMRW. URGENT. That done, she walked out into the street to assist with the clean-up.


	4. Chapter 4

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 4

Dawn was approaching when Lina finally arrived home, thanks to a ride from another officer who was heading in her direction. Her own car was still at Walter's house and she was in no shape to retrieve it. A message awaited her on her computer, blinking urgently. She was so exhausted that she nearly ignored it, but when she noticed that it was from Automan, she plopped down in her desk chair.

"Lina, I am glad that you're well. I am undamaged. I shall confer with my friends to get as much information as we can about Mr. Woodruff and his Virtual Man project. We must meet with Walter this evening to discuss what should be done. Take care. Auto."

Reassured, she headed for her bed and some much-needed sleep.

"One simple burglary call, and half the department goes nuts!" Lt. Baker roared at her by way of greeting when she entered his office that afternoon. "Lightning bolts and disappearing people? That isn't crime, it's a magic act! Maybe you can give me a sane explanation, since nobody else seems to be able to."

Lina had expected this and came up with a scenario that he could deal with. "The suspect apparently has been committing the burglaries in order to lure out a federal special agent known as Otto J. Mann, against whom he holds a grudge. When Agent Mann arrived and offered to make a deal, the suspect attempted to shoot him with some sort of high-powered Taser. Rather than risk lives, I gave an order to cut off the power to the area as a distraction. However the suspect was wearing a dark outfit that enabled him to blend into the shadows, and he escaped when the lights went out."

He grumbled, slightly mollified. "So what happened to this Agent Mann? Obviously he didn't stick around, so he must have gone after the suspect."

"That's what I assumed, sir, because when the power was restored he was nowhere in sight."

"Hmph. All right, Baines, keep an eye out. If this guy has the feds after him, it must be for more than just burglaries."

* * *

Justin had been in a bad mood all day; putting on a friendly face during his presentations for the E3 crowd was straining his patience. After Virtual Man's failure the night before, he had decided to step up his plans as well as tweak the program some more.

During a quick lunch break, he took the opportunity to do some searches based on the information that Virtual Man had uncovered, plus what he had observed the previous night. If they couldn't get to the other hologram directly, perhaps his associates could be manipulated...

* * *

"The situation is out of control," Lina said with no preamble after she arrived at the Nebichers' house. "Woodruff's hologram seems to not have any ethics when it comes to interpreting his instructions. He was going to destroy Auto, along with anyone who got in the way."

"Automan told us all about it," Roxanne said. "That was one huge risk you both took. You could have been killed!"

Suddenly the room shivered, and the generator outside revved up to its maximum RPMs. After a few seconds, a shining polyhedron whizzed out of nowhere. "Hello, Cursor!" both Walter and Lina greeted it. It streaked to the centre of the room and spiralled downward toward the floor, and then Automan appeared.

Lina nodded to him before responding to Roxanne's concern, "We're police officers. Risk is our business."

"This is not an average criminal," Auto reminded her. "The Virtual Man hologram has the capability to drain power from the grid and discharge it as a cohesive blast, with almost no voltage limit. Whereas when I discharge my energy field, I consciously limit it to the amount that stuns without serious injury. I choose to not harm others because I was programmed that way." He nodded to Walter. "But Virtual Man apparently isn't."

Lina said, "Exactly, because no matter how sophisticated the computer is, it can do only what it's told to do. If it doesn't understand its instructions, it doesn't work or behaves improperly."

"That hasn't stopped you from disobeying my orders in the past," Walter told Automan glibly.

"That's because you gave me the ability to reason, and to consider all the facts before acting."

"While most likely Woodruff created his hologram with only two things in mind: profit and revenge," Roxanne added. "Even as a game it would never work, because it can't relate to people on a compassionate level."

"So what happens now?" Lina asked. "What is capable of stopping a hologram other than disrupting its power sources?"

Walter and Automan glanced at each other uneasily, and Walter sighed. "I'd hoped to never have to talk about this again," he said in a bitter tone and then took a deep breath, running one hand through his greying hair. "Late in 1983, an expert programmer named Ronald Tilson practically held L.A. by the throat. He used his knowledge of the city's computer systems to threaten a lot of lives. Automan and I put him in jail. But a year later he broke out and hired a hit man with a special weapon to kill us."

"It was a fiberglass gun that could shoot electro-magnetically charged bullets," continued Auto. "They easily pierced my field." Lina gasped in horror, and he nodded. "Both of us were seriously injured, since Walter was merged with me at the time."

"I'm so sorry," said Lina sadly, hating what she had to say next. "But such a weapon might be useful against what we're facing here. Was it stored in the case evidence locker? If so, is it still intact after all these years?"

"It was up until I left that division in 1990," Walter said. "After that, I don't know."

"Then I'll find out; I have some contacts there." She stood up. "Will you two be all right with that?"

"It's not up to me," Walter said, raising his hands. "This is your case."

Automan hesitated.

Lina walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm. "I think what you have to decide is whether you trust me to use that weapon properly. Believe me, the last thing I want is to see you hurt."

He put his hand on her shoulder and gazed at her with those perfect blue eyes. "I trust you, Lina," he said softly.

She gave a curt nod and smiled at him. "Thank you."

Roxanne cleared her throat, interrupting the moment. Lina stepped awkwardly away from Automan and shrugged. "Well and good. Let's go and find that weapon."

When Lina and Automan had left, Roxanne and Walter shared a knowing glance. "I think those two are becoming rather fond of each other, wouldn't you say?" said Roxanne.

Walter chuckled. "It wouldn't be the first time that Auto has had that reaction. I remember how upset I used to be with him whenever he got distracted by a woman. But I'm not so uptight anymore and he has matured a lot since then."

"Maybe," was the thoughtful reply, "or maybe it's more than that."


	5. Chapter 5

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 5

A short time later, Lina and Federal Agent Mann walked into the captain's office at the Central Division HQ. Their appearance caused quite a stir: those who had been at the department long enough recognized the tall, smartly-dressed man from the days when he had worked with Walter. Lina had also gained a reputation among the techs for her work in recovering sensitive data from an old mainframe two months earlier. Faced with two such distinguished people, the captain had no objection to them borrowing the specialized weaponry.

Back in her car (Lina had insisted that she drive, so that Automan could conserve energy), she drove them to the fitness centre where she frequently went to work out.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

She smiled, feeling a little mischievous. "You'll see." Bidding him to meet her in a specific room in the building, she went into the ladies' locker room, emerging a few minutes later wearing an Aikido gi.

"What an interesting suit you're wearing," was Auto's comment when she joined him in the exercise room.

"This is the uniform of Aikido practitioners," she explained. "It's a Japanese martial art that enables one to turn an attacker's strength against him. I thought that showing you a few techniques might prove useful."

Auto smiled eagerly. "Please do. Cursor," he called, and stood at his full height to let Cursor transform his business suit into a gi.

They worked for over an hour with Lina demonstrating every defensive move that she knew and having Automan repeat it when she made an attack. It wasn't unlike sparring with a human partner, although eventually Lina became tired but Auto didn't. She called a halt and sat down on a bench near the wall, wiping her face with a towel. "I think we can safely say that you're the equivalent of a black belt at this point," she joked breathlessly. "Can you learn anything just by observation?"

"Yes, anything that a person can do, I can mimic. Even Walter was surprised at just how much I was capable of, although his vision when he programmed me was quite broad."

Lina was about to say something else when the lights began to flicker, and shouts sounded from the adjacent weight room. She glanced over at Automan in horror, and then in a fluid movement she leapt up and dove across the room to where earlier she had plugged in the charger for the magnetic bullets. Without waiting for her approval, Automan raced for the wall and phased through it.

In the few seconds it took for her to extract the bullets from the charger and load the gun, she heard the crackling of electricity and shattering of glass from the next room. Fearing that Auto was in deep trouble, she yanked open the door and assumed a defensive position, to see Auto struggling with Virtual Man as he attempted to hold him with a restraining maneuver. Auto had certainly made quick use of his new Aikido knowledge!

However, the purple-striped hologram had noticed her entrance. At the same instant as she took aim and fired at his exposed chest, he let loose an electric bolt directly at her. The charged bullet impacted his chest, disrupting his molecules, causing him to flicker and fade. She was blasted off her feet and thrown back into the exercise room, where she crumpled to the floor.

For a second Auto froze to the spot, his circuits assailed by emotion, an image of Walter nearly bleeding to death after being shot flashing through his memory. He got control of himself and tightened his hold on Virtual Man. "Call 9-1-1!" he shouted in a commanding voice, knowing Cursor would obey without betraying his presence. Then he said in a fierce tone, "Why her? I'm the one you're after."

"She was a means to an end. My Creator will speak to you tomorrow evening after the convention. Be there and we will finish this." He became insubstantial, phasing through Automan's hold, and faded away. The bullet fell to the floor.

Immediately Auto swept his gaze around the room; the few people who had been there had fled when Virtual Man had shot the mirrored wall at one end. A stand for an automated external defibrillator stood in a corner. He picked up the device, taking only a second to read the instructions, and then hurried over to kneel next to Lina's prone body and apply the pads to her chest.

Fortunately, one shock was all it took to stabilize her heart. What had saved her from electrocution was the fact that she had been standing on a rubberized mat and hadn't been fully grounded. She coughed a few times, and then moaned in pain as she regained consciousness. Automan put the AED aside and leaned close. "Lina, can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes. Her body felt like it weighed a ton. "Auto?" she whispered, managing a weak smile when she saw his azure eyes looking down at her, his face a mask of worry. She reached up toward him.

Gently he took her hands. "You should be all right now; your vitals are stabilizing. An ambulance is on the way."

"You saved my life. I guess we're even now, right?"

He smiled, intensely relieved.


	6. Chapter 6

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 6

Lina spent the night and part of the next day in the hospital under observation, drifting in and out of fitful sleep permeated by dreams of lightning. When she fully woke in the afternoon, Roxanne was sitting next to the bed.

Hearing the sheets rustling, Roxanne stood, relief showing on her face. "Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

She groaned as she carefully moved each of her limbs in turn. "I'm aching all over, like I just ran a marathon. Where's Auto?"

"He's recharging. He came to the hospital with you, but the moment the staff assured him that you were stable, he came to get us. We've all been taking turns sitting with you." Her expression became stern. "I've never seen Wally so furious; he's taking this personally. He called your captain and asked to accompany a team to the convention center this morning, to arrest Justin Woodruff for attempted murder."

Lina sat up in surprise, and winced as her back muscles protested. "They won't be able to prove anything. How would you explain a computer-generated 3D construct that shoots lightning? Unless... Oh, no..." She paused as she realized something very worrisome, and asked with a hushed voice, "What if Automan was to reveal himself?"

Roxanne shook her head slowly. Her long blond hair fell loose from a hair clip and she pushed it aside irritably. "I don't know. The times that he has shown his real form or used his abilities in public, he was believed to be wearing a costume, or was mistaken for a magician. But that was nineteen years ago; perhaps now people would believe it."

"Somehow I don't like the idea," said Lina flatly. "Every law enforcement agency in the country would want an Automan clone to work with them. He wouldn't be special anymore." She waved a hand, dismissing the idea. "But that's not as important right now."

The door opened and a middle-aged doctor with greying brown hair and bifocal glasses approached. "Glad to see that you're finally awake, Ms. Baines. Treating police officers seems to be a habit," he added with a wry smile.

"Lina, this is Dr. John Tyler. Auto - Agent Mann - specifically requested that he be your attending physician, since he knows us and has helped the police department in the past."

Lina nodded to him. "Thank you, Dr. Tyler. When can I get out of here?" she asked in an impatient tone.

"Right now," he said. "Physically you're fine; I decided it was best to let you sleep rather than wake you. I have the release forms for you to sign right here." He handed over a clipboard. "But you're not to perform any strenuous activity for the next three days."

She signed the forms, then flushed with some embarrassment as she toyed with the ties of the hospital gown she had on. "I was only wearing my Aikido uniform last night."

"Don't worry," Roxanne assured her. "Agent Mann told me where you'd been, so I went to get your stuff from the fitness centre this morning before he had to leave."

Dr. Tyler left the room so Roxanne could help her change, and then he returned with a wheelchair. "Hospital policy," he insisted when she gave it a disgusted look. "Remember, no over-exertion. If you experience any abnormal dizziness or numbness in the extremities, you are to come back here immediately." He nodded at them both.

Roxanne wheeled Lina to the main doors of the hospital, and then hurried out to the parking lot to get her car. After Lina got settled in the car she asked, "Do you want to go home?"

Lina flashed a dark look. "Do you think that seeing Woodruff's interrogation would qualify as strenuous?"

Her friend gave a short laugh. "I thought you would say that."


	7. Chapter 7

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 7

When they got to the division HQ, Lt. Baker led them to his office where Walter was waiting. The first thing that Walter did was hug Lina warmly. "I'm so glad we didn't lose you."

"That goes likewise for me, Baines," said Lt. Baker, shaking her hand. "You've got some good friends here. Now that computer-genius kid on the other hand doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the word. He kept insisting that he had no accomplices, he hadn't done anything wrong, and his computer-generated hologram was the one that's been causing the trouble. Can you imagine, blaming a computer game?"

"Given what I've seen, sir," Lina said carefully, "I'm not sure what to believe." She couldn't bring herself to say what had really happened. "Whoever or whatever broke into the fitness centre and Tasered me did so to get to Agent Mann. I don't know if they spoke."

Walter said, "Agent Mann told me that the... person said that Woodruff wanted to speak to him tonight after the convention. He didn't say why, only that he wanted to finish this."

Lina checked her watch. "I think the last official event finishes at six PM, about half an hour from now. But the convention itself closes later."

"Whatever this kid had planned, it's not going to happen," Baker insisted. "When we arrested him, his computers and cellphone were all shut down and confiscated. Can any of you contact Agent Mann?"

Walter nodded. "I'll give him a call." He left the office.

"In the meantime, why don't you pay Mr. Woodruff a visit? He's down on the holding floor. Maybe you can talk some sense out of him."

Lina and Roxanne took an elevator down to the cell block and were led by the duty officer to the end of a hall, where Justin Woodruff was being held in a small cell. When he looked up, his eyes widened when he saw Lina, and he stood. "You... you were at the con. You know... HIM, don't you?" he stammered.

As Roxanne dismissed the duty officer, Lina walked up to the bars of the cell. "Don't give me that," she said with scorn. "Your little game project almost killed me last night. Not to mention injuring several police officers the night before!"

"I swear, I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt," Justin said, his voice shaking. "All I wanted was to see that your Automan hologram didn't upstage my work."

Roxanne was incredulous. "Upstage?"

"First, he's not my hologram, he's my _friend_," said Lina angrily. "Second, he just wanted to talk to your Virtual Man as an equal. The problem seems to be that your narrow-minded views have been reflected in your programming. Virtual Man has no concept of ethics, choice, or compassion. All he has been doing is being a computer: following what he believed to be your commands to the strictest sense."

"But he couldn't..." Justin was trying to reconcile this statement with his own vision for his work. "He's programmed to interact with people, to learn about them, to become what they would like him to be."

"Before you look at other people," said Roxanne, "you need to look at yourself first. _You_ were the first person he has interacted with. What did _you_ want?"

As the realization of his own short-sightedness hit him, the young man's knees buckled and he slumped down onto the floor. "I wanted him to be the first intelligent hologram. I wanted him to be the best. He couldn't have been that without certain specialized equipment."

"That he stole from those electronics stores," Lina with a nod. "I haven't figured out exactly how, but no matter. And then when you noticed Auto at the convention, you saw him as a threat. Which Virtual Man then attempted to eliminate. But why attack me?"

"I made searches on Agent Mann and the people he was known to associate with," said Justin miserably. "Maybe he thought that if he targeted you, Automan wouldn't get in the way. I'm sorry."

So that was it; she was hit because she happened to have been with Auto at the time. Otherwise it would have been Walter or even Roxanne who would have ended up hurt. The thought made her stomach turn. "Listen, last night Virtual Man said that you wanted to speak to us after the convention, and that afterwards this whole thing would be finished. What did he mean?"

"My final demonstration of the program tonight was going to be for some international game developers who wanted to see Virtual Man's full capability. I planned to use the center's power supply to make him solid and fully interactive." He sighed. "It's not happening now, all my equipment was taken away."

"Are you sure?" Roxanne pressed him. "You don't have another computer at your hotel, or at home? Did you leave it running?"

He looked up at her, uncomprehending. "At home... in case I needed to log on remotely to do some error checking. Why?"

Lina and Roxanne exchanged shocked glances, and Lina said urgently, "We have to get to the convention center. Virtual Man is going to make his appearance, equipment or not!"

"How is that possible?" Justin cried in disbelief.

"Because Automan can do that," Lina informed him. "When he's active, he can manifest himself using any computer that he has access to, as long as there's a powerful enough energy source nearby. You didn't think that your Virtual Man would be smart enough to have his own backup plan?"

"Oh, my God," moaned Justin. "He's a monster. And I thought I had created the perfect hologram."

"You did," said a rich baritone voice. They all turned to see Automan walking toward them, dressed in business attire, with Walter a step behind him. "But his experience is limited to your input. He doesn't know right and wrong, or what it means to be human." He smiled and held out his hands to indicate the three other adults. "My friends showed me that. Without them I wouldn't have been able to truly understand what I was created to protect." He arched his eyebrows as Justin stared at him open-mouthed.

Roxanne told the new arrivals, "We think that Woodruff's hologram is going to appear at the convention center tonight."

"Auto said the same thing," Walter agreed. "We'll need Woodruff with us, because Virtual Man probably won't listen to anyone else."

"But how am I supposed to stop him?" Justin asked.

Walter regarded him with surprise and contempt in equal measure. "You created him. Order him to stop, in a way that he comprehends."


	8. Chapter 8

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core  
By Sailor Chronos

Chapter 8

After getting the required permission to have Justin temporarily released to their custody, the four law-enforcement officers escorted the young man outside to the parking lot. The sun was low in the sky and shadows covered much of the area.

As Roxanne went to get her car, Lina had an idea. "Auto, since Mr. Woodruff is willing to help us, would you drive him? It might give him insight into what a fully realized construct can do. Just please don't knock him around too much," she added with a conspiratorial wink. Automan's 90-degree turns could freak out almost anyone.

"Huh?" asked Justin as Automan grinned in amusement. "You can drive? Which car is yours?" He looked around the lot.

"This one." Auto indicated the empty space in front of them. "Cursor!" The flashing polyhedral sphere emerged from his jacket pocket, startling Justin. "The Autocar, please." With quick efficiency, Cursor drew the sleek lines of a black Lamborghini Countach with glowing blue pin-striping, tracing it over and over until the car fully solidified.

"Sweet!" Justin enthused. "You can generate three-dimensional objects other than yourself, with substance?" He practically danced around the car, running one hand over it. "Do you have a database of forms? What are the power requirements?" Eyes sparkling eagerly, he clearly wanted to know more.

"No time for questions," called Walter. "Let's go."

Lina nodded to Auto and then walked toward Roxanne's car, checking the special gun that was in her jacket holster and hoping that she wouldn't need it again.

* * *

The crowds at the convention center were somewhat fewer than they had been two days earlier, but the place was still quite busy when the group arrived. Justin showed the way to where his display had been located, wonder still evident on his face after his unorthodox ride in the Autocar.

Walter didn't miss Automan's slight smile. "You didn't tell him everything about you, did you?" he asked in a low voice.

"Of course not," said Auto, affronted. "I merely let him observe my driving skill."

"Let's just hope he decides not to copy your capabilities later," Lina put in, having heard the exchange.

"We'll worry about that after this is over," Walter said.

The booth was still there, but only several tables remained of the display. The computers were gone and the banner had been removed. Despite this, several men in dark business suits were standing nearby talking amongst themselves.

Justin said morosely, "They're probably saying that I didn't have any intention of showing them my work."

Suddenly the lights in the ceiling began to flicker and the floor shivered. Lina and Walter shared a look, and then she said to Justin, "Your work is about to show itself." She raised her voice and called out, "Back up, folks! We want a twenty-foot clear area around this spot!" and she and Roxanne ushered people out of the vicinity.

The air in the booth shimmered with a purple aura, and Virtual Man appeared. He stepped out into the aisle, his gaze sweeping the crowd, ignoring the awed whispers. "I am called Virtual Man," he said. "I was created by Justin Woodruff to be an intelligent, three-dimensional holographic display with the ability to become solid. My programming enables me to learn, observe others, and tailor my behaviour according to their expectations." He turned to face Justin. "You wished me to be the perfect hologram. I cannot be that as long as HE," he pointed to Automan, "exists. You said so yourself."

Justin swallowed, and took a breath. "I was wrong," he admitted. "I was too angry and selfish to realize that I was limiting your perspective. You _are_ a perfect hologram, but we both need to learn more before we can become better people. Please stop attacking Agent Mann and his friends, and deactivate."

Virtual Man shifted his head slightly from side to side, scowling, as if calculating the next move of a chess game. "You are my Creator; you cannot be wrong," he said slowly.

Auto walked forward. "You know who I am; I was created nineteen years ago by a man who wanted me to be the perfect crime fighter." There were a few murmurs from the crowd, and Virtual Man eyed him suspiciously. "He made mistakes too, as humans do, but he learned from them. Through my observations of him and his associates I learned to be as good a friend, and perhaps as good a person, as a hologram can be. 'A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, nothing else.' Mohandas Gandhi."

Lina heard Roxanne's sharp inhalation, and she herself was so touched by what Automan had said that her eyes misted. She also had noticed the fact that he deliberately hadn't mentioned Walter by name; most likely to protect his creator's privacy. Oddly enough, she wasn't upset about his public admission that he was a hologram. What scared her was the possibility that he might now be sought after by any agency that wanted to make use of him, for good or ill.

Justin saw her consternation and gave a slight smile and nod: he understood too. Then he turned back to his creation. "I must take the consequences of my actions; that's part of being human. You must do the same: deactivate yourself until I can teach you to improve."

Virtual Man folded his arms and nodded. "Very well. I will await your input." He faded away.

There was a brief silence, and then applause and cheers erupted from the crowd. Justin stood there stunned until Walter said, "It's your show. Enjoy it while it lasts." With some of his former confidence he walked forward and began to speak with people, including the game developers who had seen the performance.

As Auto turned and strode back toward his friends, he was quickly surrounded by spectators and programmers alike, all of whom wanted to speak to him or get his autograph. He acquiesced for a short time, until a red-bearded man in a dark suit said, "Agent Mann, is it? I represent an international software developer that has clients in law-enforcement, and they would be very interested in something such as you. Tell me what your creator, programmer, whatever, would accept."

Walter was incensed. "Did I just hear what I think that was?"

"He can NOT be bought or bribed," said Lina in a menacing tone.

The man was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Anything can be bought for the right price. He did say that he was a hologram, the product of a computer. A computer is an object, it has no choice."

"Pardon me," said Auto, a little annoyed, "but I can speak for myself." He faced the man squarely, using his intimidating six-foot-five height to his advantage. "You are incorrect; I do have the choice. I have my own needs, desires, and life, like any other person here. Nobody has the right to tell me otherwise." With a smile, he turned and placed one hand on Walter's shoulder, and the other on Lina's. "I have what I need right here: my friends."

"That's telling him, Auto," Lina said, grinning as the developer stared at them in shock, and applause broke out from the onlookers who had heard the conversation.

One boy who looked to be about ten years old said quietly, "Agent Mann? We won't tell anybody."

Automan nodded in acknowledgement. "I believe everything is under control here. I shall take my leave." To emphasize his earlier point, instead of fading away on the spot as he usually did, he walked out of the hall just like anyone else.


	9. Epilogue

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: Dual Core

By Sailor Chronos

Epilogue

The next morning, Lt. Baker surprised Lina by commending her on her quick work in cracking the case. All the stolen computer equipment had been returned undamaged, and Woodruff had written letters of apology to the officers who had been injured, as well as offering to pay for the damage to the fitness club. Lina herself had written a statement that encouraged the dismissal of the attempted murder charge, although the decision of a judge remained to be heard. Whatever happened, Justin Woodruff was going to have a lot of time to think about his future.

"Now, whatever happened to that Agent Mann?" the lieutenant asked her gruffly. "Since he was attacked twice, I thought he'd come to Woodruff's arraignment."

"He had to leave for another assignment," Lina said. "But he did say that he would be back if something came up that warranted his presence."

Lt. Baker grudgingly accepted her explanation. "I'll have you know, I did some checking. It seems that your Agent Mann has been around for a while. He used to work with the Central Division HQ on their organized crime cases back in the '80s, but then he disappeared. Why did he suddenly come back after all these years?"

She shrugged. "That's a very good question, sir. Since he works for the government, I can only guess that the reason is top secret."

"Figures," he grumbled. "But I'll tell you, if he comes around again, I'm going to shake his hand. He'll be welcome here."

She smiled. "I think he'll be glad to hear that."

THE END

Sailor Chronos

November 2010

I would like to thank the following people:

My husband, as always, for his support.

"Willow", my beta-reader, for helping with the editing and clarifying some details.

"Autonwallyluvr" for allowing me to borrow an idea from her own Automan fanfictions.


End file.
